An Unexpected Guest
by trinketeer333
Summary: Paul and Peter are accustomed to being the ones knocking on the doors of unknowing family homes, searching for human pawns to play their deadly games, but this time it's their turn to have an unexpected guest walk right into their clutches. All rights belong to the respectable owners. ***Please give me your feedback :) ***
1. Chapter 1

It was a quarter to six as I walked up the familiar flagstone steps to the Hamilton's house, and rang the doorbell. The last of the cold weather was still hanging around the neighborhood and I shivered in my coat as the late March wind swept about me. I rang the bell again, wishing Mrs. or Mr. Hamilton would answer soon and let me in from the cold. They were probably upstairs getting ready for the dinner party they were going to attend in the evening. The sound of footsteps and a shadow through the frosted window of the front door relieved my anxiousness, but when it opened to reveal a stranger I felt my heart twitch a little. Standing in front of me was a handsome, well bred young man only a few years older than myself. He was wearing black vans, black golf shorts and a white short sleeved gold shirt.

_Who was this guy? I didn't knock on the wrong door… did I?_ A little noise escaped my throat as I thought of what to say. The strange boy must have sensed my confusion and quickly spoke;

"I'm sorry, you must be confused. I'm a friend of the Hamilton's. I'm staying over for the weekend. My name is Peter." He raised his hand in level with mine and that's when I noticed his gloves. White, pristine fingered gloves that matched his shirt. I thought it was kind of odd to be wearing gloves indoors, but knew it would be rude to ask questions so I just shook his hand instead. His grip was gentle, like his boyish voice.

"I'm Charlotte" I smiled.

"Pleased to meet your acquaintance Charlotte, why don't you come inside?" Peter smiled back at me and for the first time I met his gaze; dark eyes hiding behind his shaggy dirty blond hair.

"Thank you" I said as I stepped inside.

"Oh good you're polite."

"Pardon?" I asked as I sat down on the foyer steps to take off my shoes.

"I said that you're polite. So much of our young generation forget about the importance of manners." _This guy just gets stranger and stranger…_ "Paul will be pleased."

"Paul?" I asked, looking up at him from the step where I was sitting.

"My brother" Peter smiled down at me, his features brightening in the mention of his brother, "Let me take your coat."

"Thanks" As he hung my coat in the closet I asked him, "So you're friends of the Hamiltons?"

Peter's voice was muffled as he answered from inside the closet, "Well my parents are."

"Oh. Where are they?"

"Pardon?"

"I asked where they are."

Peter closed the closet door and looked at me as if he was lost for words. Then he smiled and said, "They're out."

"Out?" Peter shuffled on the spot, obviously a bit uncomfortable with all the questions I was asking, but I found the whole thing kind of odd. _Where were Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton? Where were the kids? Did they forget that I was supposed to be babysitting?_ Before Peter could answer me someone else walked into the room. It wasn't any of the Hamiltons, it was Peter's brother, Paul.


	2. Chapter 2

He looked to be about a year or two older than Peter as his features were a little more mature. He was dressed in all white; converse, golf shorts, and a long sleeved golf shirt. His hair was even a little fairer. Other than that they had an uncanny resemblance towards each other. Paul stared at me with icy blue eyes and I had the strange feeling he was sizing me up. He smiled and offered me his hand;

"Hello, I'm Paul." I took a moment before I accepted his hand because I was too busy staring at his gloves. He caught my glance and said;

"Oh, my brother and I are prone to eczema." He kept his hand outstretched and continued to smile, waiting for me to return the greeting. Feeling embarrassed, I nodded my head in understanding and gave him my hand. Paul's grip wasn't at all like his brother's; it was firm, engulfing my slender hand I felt a sense of control in it. His icy blue eyes searched my own hazel ones as he kept my hand in his. Peter had been watching the two of us intently, but he soon fidgeted with his gloves and piped up;

"Paul this is Charlotte." _Oh crap, no wonder it had been so quiet. I forgot to introduce myself!_ Paul let go of my hand and my arm fell to my side.

"Well hello Charlotte" he said his smile starting to looking more sly as my cheeks turned pink.

"Hi Paul" I said awkwardly trying hard not to meet his gaze again. Then Peter smiled;

"Why don't you come sit down for a while." For some reason, even though he spoke with that soft, boyish voice of his, it seemed like more of a command than an offer. I was getting a weird feeling that staying would be a bad idea; _Where were the Hamilton's? What were these guys doing in their house?_

"Thanks, but—

"Now, now Charlotte. Peter invited you to spend some time with us, it would be rude of you to decline. Don't be rude Charlotte." Paul's expression was stern, but it followed with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. I was feeling uncomfortable at this point; _Why was he being so demanding?_ The way he spoke to me made me feel as if I didn't have a choice in the matter, and I don't think I did.

"Okay" I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

"Excellent!" With that he led me through the hall and into the living room, Peter taking up the rear. He pointed to one of the couches;

"Sit down, make yourself comfortable."

"Thanks" I said as I took a seat."

"We weren't expecting company, but Peter and I were getting bored, so it's just our luck that you stopped by. Isn't it Peter?"

"Yes it is indeed." He smiled, still standing opposite his brother. They were already taller than me when I was standing, but they seemed to be towering over me now.

"So where are the Hamiltons and your parents?" I asked. Paul looked over at Peter before answering;

"Our parents… and the Hamilton's… went out."

"Oh… You two didn't want to go with them?"

"No, we didn't feel like mingling with them for much longer" he smiled and looked over at Peter again, "Isn't that right Tom?" _Who's Tom?_ Peter seemed to get excited at that statement. He grinned;

"Yeah they're really not that fun."

"Now Charlotte, may I ask you what your plans were with the Hamilton's tonight?" Paul inquired, his icy stare searching me once again.

"Well the Hamilton's were planning on going out and they asked me to babysit."

"I guess they forgot, what with us dropping by for the weekend and all" Peter concluded.

"Yeah… I guess so." I said, more to myself than to them.

"Well you're here now, and we're happy about that, aren't we Tom?" Paul beamed at his brother.

"Definitely, it's always such a pleasure to have unexpected guests" Peter grinned back at his brother. Paul sat on the couch next to me;

"I agree" Paul was staring straight at me. Peter sat on my other side. I looked down in my lap and started fidgeting with the ends of my long sleeved top. At the corner of my eye I could see Paul lean in close to me, his head cocked to the side, his icy blue eyes burning holes in my skull.

"Well aren't you going to thank us Charlotte? Peter and I just said how nice it is to have unexpected guests. Do you see anyone else here that could fit that description?" I remained silent, scared and lost for words. "Do you Peter?"

"No, it's just the three of us, and we were already here Paul." He smiled and pointed at Paul and himself.

"Right, we were already here, so that makes you the unexpected guest. So thank Tom for the compliment Charlotte."

"T—thank you" I stammered.

"There, that's better. We can't forget out manners now can we?" Paul smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

"We need to entertain our guest Peter, what do you think we should do?"

Peter smiled devilishly; "How about a game?"

"Yeah I love games, and I bet Charlotte here likes them too. Don't you Charlotte?"

"Um, I guess so."

"Well Peter and I have plenty of games in store for you, but first… We should start the main game. Actually it's more of a bet, but it's a lot of fun, really."

"Huh?"

"Charlotte, you bet that you can make it until tomorrow morning at let's say, eight o'clock, and Peter and I bet that you won't."

"I—I don't understand what you're saying…"

Paul's eyes rolled to Peter and they both smiled, but it was far from friendly;

"You bet that you'll be alive by tomorrow morning and we bet that you'll be dead." My heart stopped. I tried to find my voice but I couldn't think of a single word. Peter looked over to Paul;

"But what will she bet on?"

"Her life of course; life is precious" Paul answered matter-of-factly, "Now since you'll probably be kicking the bucket at eight tomorrow morning—Sorry for assuming, but it's quite likely seeing it's two against one—Why don't we start having some fun, make the most of Charlotte's final night." Now both of their eyes were on me and I didn't want to know what sorts of things were going through their minds. These guys were insane. A cold sweat was running over me and I didn't even realize that my nails were digging painfully into my arms where I crossed them over myself. There was a throbbing lump in my throat, threatening to burst at any moment, but I didn't want to cry in front of them, at least not yet. My eyes burned with the promise of tears, so I shut them. _Maybe there's a chance that I can last. I only have to gut it out until the morning… _Finally I spoke, but it came out in a trembling whisper;

"Why? Why don't you just kill me now?"

Peter smiled at me; "We could show you mercy sooner than later, but that all depends on how the game goes. You have to play your cards right, so to speak." This last comment made both of them laugh.

"Play your cards... that's a good one" Paul chortled.

"You think this is all just a game?" I asked, shaking.

"You can't forget the importance of entertainment Charlotte." Peter was still smiling as he said this to me.


	4. Chapter 4

I was finding it harder and harder to catch my breath and I had to clench me hands to my sides to keep them from shaking. The two young men didn't seem to notice. Peter turned from me to watch the Hamilton's long-haired tabby slink past in the hall; "Oh look an opportunity for some fun!"

"Excellent" Paul rubbed his palms together as he and Peter stood up and followed the cat into the kitchen. I sat there for a few moments unable to move. The kitchen and the living room had an open concept floor plan. If I were to make a move back to the front door they would for sure notice me doing it. Then again I would have a bit of a head start and if I did make it out the door in time I could call for help. My heart started to pound against my ribs as I slowly stood up and started to inch my way out of the living room. I was trying to make it look as if I was walking into the kitchen, all the time keeping Paul and Peter in peripheral vision, making sure they didn't have their full attention on me. When I got close enough I veered into the hall and bolted to the front door. I heard something fall and then shatter in the kitchen and one of them cursed and proceeded to chase me down. My socks slid on the hardwood floor and I almost fell, but adrenaline kicked in and I righted myself. The distance between the escape and me were closing in quickly, but the pounding footsteps behind me were quicker. I reached out for the doorknob when I was suddenly crushed against the door by a heavy force. It was Paul. He linked his arms under mine and began pulling me back, but I was clutching onto the doorknob and turning it madly, willing it to swing open to free me. Peter was in the hall watching us, and he began to chuckle. The door was bolted. My heart sank and Paul finally pried my hands off of the doorknob and began pushing me back down the hall; "You shouldn't have done that Charlotte." He directed me into the kitchen, Peter was already ahead of us and at his feet was a broken glass; "Since you were the one who caused all of this trouble, you should really be the one to clean up the mess. Don't you think so Paul?"

"I think you're right Peter. The glass wouldn't have broken if she had behaved herself." Peter reached behind the fridge and pulled out a broom and dustpan. He handed them to me with a sullen expression. I had no choice. I took the broom and began sweeping the shards of broken glass into a small pile. The two young men stood and watched as I knelt down and began to sweep the mess into the dustpan. Peter opened a cupboard producing the waste bin inside. I shook the shards out and they made little tinkling noises as they fell. Then Peter took the broom and dustpan back from me and put them in their proper place. Paul leaned over my shoulder and nearly made me jump as he whispered; "There, wasn't that easy?"

The cat started to circle its food dishes hungrily and meowed loudly in protest. I had almost forgotten why we were in the kitchen until she had made herself known again. Peter bent down to stroke her but as he did she backed away and hissed fiercely at him. He moved his hand towards her food dish instead and picked it up; "She's just hungry, that's all. Charlotte where is the cat food kept?"

"In that cupboard" I pointed to a cupboard on the other side of the counter. Peter took the bowl with him and picked out a can. He read the label out loud; "Savory Salmon" Turning his back to us he began filling the little bowl with the sloppy stuff. Soon the entire kitchen reeked of cat food. While Peter's back was turned to us Paul looked at me and then to the cat who was eying the two strange men suspiciously, but who was not about to leave with the promising smell of her dinner in the air.

"So Charlotte," Paul began "would you say that you're more of a dog lover or a cat lover?" I didn't want to speak, but I couldn't stand the silence either. I decided I would play along with their game; "Well I guess I like both, but I prefer cats. My opinion is biased though, since I've only ever owned a cat."

Paul nodded in interest; "I see. Well dogs seem to be a bit more… disruptive" He looked in Peter's direction, "besides, Peter here is afraid of dogs. Aren't you Peter?"

"I'm not afraid of dogs, they just make me uncomfortable" He said defensively over his shoulder.

"I.E. he's afraid of dogs" Paul concluded, "Cats on the other hand tend to get moody."

"Well it depends on the cat, mostly it's just in their nature" I responded. At that point Peter walked back towards us and placed the bowl in front of the cat, which started to eat away at it at once. We stood there, watching the cat devour its meal and when she was just about finished Peter looked up and said; "I have a great idea" he walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a green garbage bag from under the counter. When Paul saw what Peter brought back he grinned; "Great idea Tom!"

I didn't understand what they were getting at until Paul scooped the cat up and walked over to Peter who was holding the garbage bag open. I couldn't believe what they were about to do. It was horrendous! The cat must have sensed what was going to happen as well because she was going berserk; clawing and mewing at Paul.

"Cat in the bag. I love this game!" Peter smiled.

"Are you guys crazy! Stop it! What are you doing?!"

"Relax, the cat has claws. She'll be able to cut some air holes through the plastic" Paul said reassuringly.

"Yeah, and one even chewed its way out once, remember Butthead?"

"I remember Beavis. Took the damn cat nearly an hour to do it."

I couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it, but it was happening right in front of me. _It was happening to me_. I had to believe it. The cat finally managed to turn far enough to sink her teeth into Paul's arm. "Shit!" He dropped the cat and it went running down the hall.

"What a shame, I was really looking forward to playing cat in the bag. Let's just hope that the poison kills her sooner rather than later then" Peter said patting what looked to be a pill bottle in his pocket.

"Oh I'm sure it will. She ate that cat food pretty quickly. I guess she didn't smell it" Paul said staring down the hall where the cat disappeared. _Poison?_ All of a sudden I felt my stomach lurch. _If that's what they planned to do to the cat, then what did they have in store for me?_

"You can follow the cat if you want. See if she's all right" Paul said in a soft tone which I found rather odd. _These guys can change their emotions so fast; one minute they're about to torture a cat, and the next they're sympathetic._

"Come on" Paul took my arm and walked me through the dark hall. We stopped at the bottom of the staircase and I could make out the cats tail as she descended up into the darkness and then disappeared again. "Go on" Paul prompted me to follow the cat. I began to slowly climb the stairs. When I looked behind me Paul was still waiting at the bottom watching me. When I reached the top my eyes needed to adjust to the dark. The only light was coming from the streetlamps shining through the windows making an orange glow on everything it hit, and the bathroom light which was shining behind the closed door. I could make out odd shapes on the floor; a fallen lamp, some scattered toys and clothes. It was a mess. Usually the Hamilton's kept their home neat, but up here it looked like a bomb went off. I made my way past the kids' bedrooms and peeked in; more mess, no cat. I finally got to the bathroom door which was a black rectangle with a glowing border of light around the door frame. The door was shut, so the cat couldn't have been inside… but why was the light on while all the others were off? Curiosity grabbed hold of me and I opened the door. As soon as I saw what was inside I wish I had never even touched the doorknob. Blood. Blood was everywhere. Splattered across the mirror, smeared on the walls, and pooling on the tiles next to a heap on the floor. It was too much for me to bear. I swung the door shut on that gruesome image, trying to shut it out of my memory as well, but it stood out like a thorn stuck in my thumb. I felt my stomach lurch again and this time I was sick. I held my aching sides and made my way back towards the staircase, but not before I caught a glimpse of several other bloody bodies behind the partially open door to the master bedroom.


End file.
